1. Broadening Your Education
Chapter 7
Broadening Your Education

2. Broadening Your Education
This chapter is about:
Co-curricular/Extra curricular Activities
Things no one will make you do. You will have to take initiative and “step up to the plate” to take advantage of these things
But things that may have greater educational value than even your required coursework.

3. Examples of Co-curricular Activities
Participation in student organizations
Participation in engineering projects
Pre-professional employment
Study Abroad
Putting something back (service)

4. Types of Engineering Student Organizations
Student chapters of discipline-specific engineering societies
Engineering honor societies
Ethnic and gender-based student organizations
Engineering student council

5. Benefits of Participation in Student Organizations
Meet your social needs
Develop your leadership and organizational skills
Engage in professional development activities
Receive academic support
Participate in service activities

6. Participation in Engineering Projects
Student design competitions
Technical paper contests
Design clinics
Undergraduate Research
Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU)

7. Pre-Professional Employment
Summer jobs, Internships
Part-time jobs
Cooperative education (“co-op”) experiences

8. Benefits of Pre-Professional Employment
Develop job search skills
Gain exposure to engineering practice
Make money
Apply your knowledge, skills, and abilities
Strengthen motivation to succeed in engineering study
Gain references for future employment

9. Cooperative Education
a program of study at an institution of higher education under which regular students undertake academic study for specified periods of time alternating with work experience in government, industry, business . . .

10. How Do You Measure Up? Your year in school Your academic performance
Your personal qualifications

11. Conducting a Job Search
Preparing a resume
Preparing a cover letter
Developing your interviewing skills
Identifying employment opportunities

12. Set Up a LinkedIn Profile
Your LinkedIn profile is an online resume
Recruiters from companies use LinkedIn to find potential future employees
Build a strong profile and keep it up to date

13. Interview Skills
Put significant effort into preparing yourself for interviews
Practice interview questions
Learn as much as you can about the company, the job you are seeking, and the person who will be interviewing you
STAR Strategy for Interviews
Situation, Task, Action, Result

14. Identifying Employment Opportunities
Networking
Informational Interviews
On-campus interviews
Using the Internet, e.g.
Career fairs and other on campus resources

16. Informational Interview
What is it?
– An information gathering session. Not a job interview. You are interviewing the employer.
Preparing for the informational interview
Conducting the interview
Following up on the interview

17. Study Abroad
Benefits
Can You Do It?
Finding a Study Abroad Program

18. Benefits of Study Abroad
Developing greater self-confidence, independence, self-reliance, and maturity
Broadening your world understanding and gaining a new perspective on the world
Improving your cross-cultural communication skills
Developing your ability to adapt to new and unfamiliar environments
Building second language skills
Making new and lasting contacts and friendships
Distinguishing yourself from your peers in a future job search

19. Can You Do It? Length of time abroad When to go abroad Host country
Method of financing
What to study while abroad

20. Finding a Study Abroad Program
Programs sponsored by your university
Programs not sponsored by your university

21. Putting Something Back
Providing feedback
Helpful feedback is:
Descriptive, NOT evaluative
Specific
Usable
Serving as an ambassador
Helping other students

22. Group Discussion Student “Power”
Power (“the ability to influence others”) comes from at least three sources:
position
knowledge
person
In your group, discuss the “power” that comes to you from your position as a “student”
Appoint a leader to keep the discussion on topic and a recorder to document what was learned and report out

23. Alternate Group Discussion Topic Interviewing for Summer Job
In your group, develop a list of 7-10 questions you would expect to be asked during an interview for an engineering-related summer job/internship. Take turns asking the questions to group members and having them respond.
Appoint a leader to keep the discussion on topic and a recorder to document what was learned and report out